It was December 2023, and Soniya and Josh met for the first time at their company Christmas white elephant gift exchange. Later that month, Soniya and Josh attended the same company Christmas party. After a night of food and fun, Soniya and Josh connected and had a good conversation. They ended up exchanging numbers that night.
Both Soniya and Josh love food and sharing what they love with others. They often prepare dishes for their company potluck, and this month was no exception. They continued to chat and hang out at work and outside of work to learn more about one another.
Soniya and Josh had a blast in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. They held their hands up so much to catch beads and toys that they couldn't lift them by the end of the night! Shoutout to the whole Stein crew who hosted us!
Soniya and Josh attended their company Mardi Gras ball where they enjoyed great food, live music, and dancing!
Soniya and Josh celebrated the Indian festival of Holi at the office where participants placed brightly colored powder onto each other. They also attended a local Holi event where the color was flying!
Soniya and Josh attended a company event at Top Golf. Eating, drinking, and golfing the night away!
Soniya took Josh to one of her favorite restaurants in Lafayette; Marcello's! Both of them really enjoy trying new restaurants and sharing that experience with one another.
Josh bought his first house! Soniya helped with moving in and making the house feel like a home. Together they painted, cleaned, and decorated the house to add their own charm.
Soniya and Josh went on their first trip together (along with friends). They had a great time in Las Vegas trying lots of different foods, seeing new sights, and attending entertaining shows. They even went to a Pitbull concert! Soniya played Craps for the first time and managed to walk away with some winnings!
After Las Vegas, Soniya and Josh continued their trip in Denver where they explored the downtown area to see what it had to offer. They also attended a Major League Baseball game for the first time, and the Rockies won! (shoutout to Alex & Grayson, and Billy & Jessica for hosting us)
Soniya and Josh attended a company crawfish boil at the zoo where Josh taught Soniya how to peel crawfish. They enjoyed seeing all the interesting animals the zoo had to offer.
Soniya and Josh went to visit Josh's family in Mississippi. They had a fun weekend of hanging out with the family. Josh taught Soniya how to throw an axe, the cool way.
Soniya and Josh went on a vacation to Orlando with Josh's family. Together they zoomed down slides at the water park, rode roller coasters, and even visited Elvis! (the wax version)
Soniya and Josh celebrated Josh's 30th birthday with a weekend in Houston. Soniya brought Josh to her favorite fine dining Indian restaurant, Musaafer.
Soniya and Josh relaxed after their traveling in July. They tried their best to beat the summer heat with colorful ice-cold snowcones.
Soniya and Josh attended their company ice skating event. This was Soniya's first time ice skating and she was proud that she didn't fall even once!
Soniya brought Josh to the local Indian temple where they celebrated the birthday of Lord Ganesh. Together they sang songs and paid homage to Lord Ganesh. Josh really enjoyed the experience, especially the tasty homemade food everyone made for the event.
Soniya and Josh traveled to Mississippi to see Josh's family and celebrate his two nieces and nephew's birthday parties (yes, all 3 in one weekend). They played laser tag, went to the batting cages, had fun at the park, and painted their own piece of pottery.
Josh brought Soniya to her first rodeo. They saw bull riders, rodeo clowns, barrel racers, and even monkeys riding on dogs!
Soniya and Josh celebrated their first Halloween together and dressed up in their theme costume: the princess and the frog. They won 2nd place at their company costume contest.
Soniya and Josh celebrated Diwali: the festival of lights. They wore traditional Indian clothes, created colorful rangoli, and ate popular Indian snacks.
Soniya and Josh traveled to Houston to attend a concert of one of Soniya's favorite music artists: Sabrina Carpenter. Josh didn't know as many lyrics as Soniya, but he tried his best to sing along.
Soniya and Josh showed off their Christmas spirit at the office with their ugly sweaters and other festive attire. They played the white elephant gift exchange again, where their journey together began.
Soniya and Josh celebrated Soniya's birthday with a day of pampering. And of course they had to go to Marcello's for dinner. The next day was Christmas Eve where Soniya was in for a big surprise.
By Josh
It was Christmas Eve, just a day after Soniya’s birthday, a birthday she had spent feeling beautiful and cherished, with a fresh haircut, new nails, and a lovely dinner. That evening, we headed to Mississippi to visit my family for Christmas, under the pretense of taking family photos by the pond on my parents’ property.
As each group took their turn in front of the camera, I tried to keep calm, though my heart was racing. The ring box was too big to fit in my pocket, so I had hidden it in my dad’s camera bag. When it was finally our turn, I managed to quietly slip it into my pocket while redirecting Soniya's attention to someone else.
We posed together by the pond, the golden light of the evening settling around us. Then I asked her to turn around so I could take a photo of her from behind, something perfect for her to post on social media. While she was turned away, I pulled out the ring and dropped to one knee.
“Turn around,” I said gently.
When she turned and saw me, her face lit up, then melted into tears as she covered her face in disbelief. I waited, smiling from one knee, until she looked at me again and I could finally ask the question: “Will you marry me?”
Through happy tears, she nodded and said yes.
I slipped the ring onto her finger, we hugged, and the sound of my family cheering behind us filled the air. We spent the rest of the evening wrapped in love, laughter, and photos, capturing the start of forever.